Thursday, November 6, 2014

As busy moms, I think so many of us are grasping for anything we can do to make our lives more streamlined and harmonious. I completely went paperless a couple years ago, taking full advantage of Macbook, iPhone, and iPad products and their ability to seamlessly sync - allowing calendar access no matter which device I have on hand. This has been so very useful when needing to check appointments at-a-glance. I absolutely love that my calendar and my husbands calendar are synced and color coded so that we each know when the other is out-of-pocket or when to book mutually necessary appointments. However, for detailed day-to-day to-do lists, I've found I was still searching for the perfect fix. I caught myself making hand written, hour-by-hour, daily strategies on post-it notes....cause no one has ever lost a post-it note, right?!? Of course not. *insert sarcasm here* I tried sticking it to my iPhone case - I have no idea why that didn't work. Ha. I downloaded a variety of to-do list apps, but there is something therapeutic about scratching off accomplished items at the end of the day on actual paper. If your business is a potentially messy one, as mine has proven time and again to be, there is the added benefit of a list just lying there, open and easily visible, without turning on a device with possibly sticky fingers to see what is up next.

A fellow Oklahoman and Mompreneur, Whitney English, developed the Day Designer specifically with busy, working, creative mom's in mind. For years I was a faithful Franklin Covey day planner devotee and have been hesitant to return to paper after my streamlining brigade...but I mentioned the post-it notes, yes? Besides, I have saved every single planner that I have owned and the notes therein serve as a sort-of journal - I enjoy thumbing through them and walking down memory lane. Obstetric appointments, buying our first house, life goals - they are all fun to look back over and remember the life and times of our younger selves.

After a couple of months of perusing various day planner options, I settled on the Day Designer though I will admit it was a close call between Day Designer and Simplified Planner. They both have great qualities, a slight variance in size, and several differences in content, but ultimately...I'm a huge believer in supporting our Oklahoma home-front first and foremost and while I probably would have been happy with either planner, the Day Designer won. I'm all about an Oklahoma girl and her biz. Not to mention Day Designer has colors more fitting to my personal aesthetic. I know...deep, intelligent, profoundly wise decision maker here...the Day Designer choices are darn purdy.

Carrie Floral 2015 Day Designer

Roughly the same size as an iPad, there is a single page per day format (with Saturday/Sunday sharing a page). I'm super excited to scratch the post-it to-do lists and keep everything where I can find it.

In the front of the Day Designer are a series of worksheets. I think these will be fantastic tools for a young entrepreneur, or someone not-young but new to business ownership, or someone just seeking to clear the extra fluff in their life and streamline focus to the important things. I am neither young, nor new to entrepreneurship, so while I personally don't feel that I will utilize the sheets, I do think they will be very helpful to someone working their way through their purpose and goals. I created and sold my first product nearly 28 years ago - and I was hooked. I knew at a young age that I loved to create and I loved business - my two Jewish genes got together with my one Native American gene and the idea of art and business collided into something that simply ran away with my heart. The point is, I cleared the fluff a long time ago using a similar method of worksheets. I know many accomplished business women who have found this hugely beneficial and I totally recommend working through skill sheets such as these.

While I won't be parting with my digital appointment calendar, I am happy to have found a tool to combine to-do list with meal plans and notes. If you found this review helpful, please do give a shout out and let me know. Happy Planning!

xox,
A

Note: my review was in no way prompted by the folks at Day Designer, nor am I receiving any compensation for my comments or photos.